Loss of Possession

Flicking through the weathered collection of second hand vinyls, the table lets out a groan as I finally choose my record and carry it to the till. The attendant is more focussed on his stacked pile of Ska and Punk to actually notice me standing over him. A quick cough though and he soon notices me and happily takes my rolled up note and places it amongst the other pile of queen's heads in his till. Upon leaving the shop I happily read over the cover art on the sleeve and look forward to testing it out back home. This kind of interaction and experience could soon be a thing of the past though as we now see more and more mediums of entertainment being replaced by electronic gizmo's. The latest gadget being plugged currently is the electronic book. Amazon are particular interested in promoting the new “Kindle” with a fairly sizeable advertising campaign. The e-book tablet allows the user to store hundreds of books onto one device making it easy to carry around a wealth of reading material. The Kindle is currently being sold at £109 and books can be downloaded for as little as a £1. So there's no doubting that an avid book reader will over time save both space and money by investing in the e-book, but what are the long term consequences?

   
The primary function of any advance in technology is to better our lives, and saving space in your home could be convenient for some but in reality it seems we may lose a small piece of our personality. A book shelf in somebody's home can give you an insight into their interests, hobbies and thoughts. Equally there's nothing better than running through your music or film collection with a friend whilst adding to it intermittently.

With books, cds, and films removed from your dusty shelves at home what are your going to be left with? A goldfish bowl and a lamp? A picture of your bratty niece? It just feels like another step towards the Japanese idea of home will be adopted and we will be living in rooms a rabbit would turn its nose up to.